And at 77-years-old, Ernestine Shepherd is living true to those words FOR SURE!

The official Guinness World Record holder for oldest female bodybuilder, Ernestine is a site to be seen! Her body is incredible and she’s trained incredibly hard to get it!

But as impressive as her physique may be, her personal story is far more moving than her muscles.

Ernestine’s path toward becoming a bodybuilder started with her sister Velvet over twenty years ago. The two decided they needed to get involved with some sort of exercise program. Velvet had dreams of breaking the record as the oldest bodybuilder but they ended when she died of a brain aneurysm in 1992.

After her sister’s death, Ernestine stopped working out and was soon right back to the bad health she found herself in before she started training. She explained:

"After my sister died, I ended up with high blood pressure, panic attacks, high cholesterol, you name it, I had it."

She never thought she would lift again, but Ernestine says her sister came to her one night in a dream and motivated to get back in the gym!

And she did just that.

She trained. She competed in her first bodybuilding competition. And she won!

But the biggest accolade of all came when Guinness called Ernestine to inform her she had broken the record as the world’s oldest professional bodybuilder! Her sister’s dream finally came true!

Now, Ernestine is still training - waking up at 2:30 am, eating egg whites and running 10 miles with her 83-year-old husband!

She’s working at a local gym as a personal trainer where she teaches other super seniors about the importance of healthy living!

Talk to some of those in her class and there’s no doubt, Ernestine is exactly where she belongs on this Earth!

This is what in my opinion a true inspiration and who young and old should look up to! not the celebrities that every kid seems to think is amazing and awe inspiring! This women Ernestine Is way beyond amazing and should be recognized for what she's doing and her wisdom! thank you perez for posting this story!!

Congrats but americans are americans…..A hard headed lot (i'm american! but i'm softheaded!). The american government has been telling americans to eat right and workout for 100+ years. And what was americas response? "F you government". Then they gave people who dont eat right or exercise words like "curvy" to spite the pleas from the US gov. Most americans eat like crap and only 10% of americans get the recommended minimal amount of exercise (or was it 20%? now I cant remember). So this woman can try to be an inspiration all she wants. Her wisdom will fall on deaf ears. Americans still will not work out or eat right. The greatest thing that ever happened to me several years ago was meeting a gymnastics girl with a 140+ IQ.
She taught me how important it is to bench 146 IQ with your brain and how important it is to train and workout your muscles. I'm not an athlete but at least I get 30 minutes of working out a day thanks to my girl (my inspiration). If she was a couch potato.. i'd be one.

this looks like latia
hey Latia, you could beat the snot out of this Troy Tyrell guy! Really! One of our crossfit trainers works out of Executive Personal Training Studio in vancouver and said troy Tyrell got his ass fired from there for acting really perverted and weird around the female clients and trainers. Also said he is skinny with no athletic ability or muscle.not really sure were he works now, hopfully he crawled back under his rock. Keep rocking Latia you are great!